In Memoriam: Dr. Frank Mallory

Frank Mallory, W. Alton Jones Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at Bryn Mawr College, passed away on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017. He was 84 years old.

A memorial service at Bryn Mawr was planned for a later date.

He came to Bryn Mawr as Assistant Professor of Chemistry in 1957 and became Associate Professor in 1963 and Professor in 1969. In 1985, he was named W. Alton Jones Professor of Chemistry, and held that position he held until his retirement in 2011.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: Bryn Mawr College for the Frank Mallory Fund for Chemistry, c/o Bryn Mawr College, Development Office, 101 North Merion Ave., Bryn Mawr, PA 19010.

Former President Kim Cassidy remembered Dr. Mallory in a letter sent to the campus community after his passing.

Dr. Mallory received his B.S. summa cum laude from Yale University 1954 and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He was a National Science Foundation pre-doctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology, where he received his Ph.D. in 1958. 

During his 54-year tenure at the College, he served as chair of the Department of Chemistry for 10 years and as President Emeritus Pat McPherson’s first Academic Deputy to the President, a position now known as Provost. President Cassidy wrote that It is believed Dr. Mallory was the longest-serving member of the faculty in the history of Bryn Mawr.  

An organic chemist, he was a prolific scholar, publishing 89 articles and book chapters, 88 abstracts of research talks, and 93 research talks without abstracts. He was a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow 1963-64 and Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow 1964-68. Many of his projects were in collaboration with his colleague and wife, Sally Mallory. 

He is survived by Sally Mallory (nee Wood) and children Mary Mallory Wrenn (Robert), Paul Mallory (Kelly), Michele Mallory Penner (Terry) and the late Philip Mallory. He is also survived by eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.